Fellowship of Christian Atheletes -
Greek = egkrates. Strong in a thing, masterful.
Introduction: The Lord told Cain long ago that "sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7) Cain failed the test. He did not have self-control. How much have we learned since then? How well does modern man handle this type of situation? How much self-control do we tend to have when such things as Internet pornography, raw TV shows or violent computer games come crouching at the door of our home? The outcome for Cain was to leave the presence of the Lord (4:16). Unless we, in the 21st century, can master our sin through the power of self-control, we run the risk of following Cain’s example. With sin crouching every which way we turn these days in our image-saturated society, the need for self-control has never been greater.
- The fruit of the Spirit is self-control. This can be a challenge. Without being too graphic about any sexual sin, which would displease God in a group context, how might we help each other to be more holy? Talk about a victory you have had in self-control.
- Read Acts 24:25. What does this teach us about the importance of self-control?
- Read II Peter 1:3-9. Why are we to add self-control to knowledge? What is the benefit of having self-control in increasing measure? What are the dangers of not having self-control?
- Read Daniel 1:8-20. How did Daniel live out the power of self-control in Babylon? How did God bless him? Read I Samuel 10:27 to learn how King Saul also displayed this fruit.
- Warren W. Wiersbe said, "People around us are starving for love, joy, peace, and all the other graces of the Spirit. When they find them in our lives, they know that we have something they lack." Who in your peer group is the best example of self-control? Why?
Memory verse: "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." — I Corinthians 9:25
Conclusion: "After graduating from Wheaton College, I went to Clark University in Massachusetts for graduate study," said Hudson T. Armerding. "I had been awarded a scholarship with a stipend that allowed for lunch and dinner six days a week. Because I felt the need for a daily breakfast as well, I used the small amount of money I had to buy each week a box of shredded wheat, a can of condensed milk, and a pound of brown sugar. For two semesters I had the same breakfast each morning; shredded wheat, brown sugar, condensed milk. I confess it was some years before I could enjoy shredded wheat again, but the discipline dictated by my lack of funds was good for me."
